What this usually is
This fault reads the same on every make, but it does not rank the same. On the H models it is usually a coin, a stud or an underwire loose in the machine. The models here are one machine in several finishes rather than several machines, so the design-inherent causes rank first and the installation causes fall back.
What the owner actually sees
- A banging or knocking that only happens on spin — Quiet through wash and drain, loud the moment the drum speeds up.
- A squeal that builds through the cycle — Sometimes with a smell of hot rubber behind it.
- A single hard thump at the start of every spin — Then it settles, and the rest of the spin sounds normal.
- NEAR MISS — the machine hums and the drum does not turn — That is a drive or start fault, not a noise fault, and it is a different page.
What it usually turns out to be, in order on the H line
- A coin, a stud or an underwire loose in the machine — Ranked first here — it is the most common find of the list and because the longer it runs the more it costs to put right.
- A drain pump impeller fouled — Second here — it makes a hard, regular noise that people read as serious, and it is reachable without a panel.
- A machine that is not standing level — Third here — it costs nothing to rule out and it makes every other noise on this list louder.
- A floor flexing under the machine — Fourth here — nothing on the machine is wrong, and yet the noise is real.
- Shipping bolts still fitted — Fifth here — it applies to a machine installed recently, which is a story you will know.
- Body: These are finish variants of a single build, so a fault found on one of them will be found on the rest, and the order reflects that rather than hedging. Concretely, a drain pump impeller fouled outranks a machine here, and that is the difference worth reading for.
What to look at first, second, third
- Open the pump filter and empty it into your hand — Hardware in the filter is the answer.
- Listen for whether the noise is only present during the drain — A noise tied to drain and nothing else has located itself.
- Push each top corner down in turn and watch for movement — Any rock at all means one foot is short, and that is enough to turn a spin into a walk.
- Kneel and press on the floor beside the machine during a spin — Movement you can feel through the boards is the floor, and it needs a board rather than a part.
- Look at the back panel for bolts through the casing — A newly installed machine that bangs violently on spin has almost always kept its bolts.
- Body: These are finish variants of one machine, so access is identical across the line and the order below is purely about likelihood rather than about what is easiest to reach. Work them in order: each one clears the cause it sits beside, and the next is only worth doing once the one before it is clean.
Switch it off first
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. A washing machine is heavy and top-loaded with a concrete counterweight: never tip one onto its back to look underneath, and never run it with a panel off.
Models in the H family — Every model this page covers, exactly as the model line is recorded. Nothing outside this table is a model number, and nothing on this page claims to cover a model that is not in it.
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| H18vD740(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD741(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD742(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD743(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD744(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD745(3B) | amana:washer:h |
| H18vD746(3B) | amana:washer:h |
Where owner work stops
Call when the noise rises with drum speed and you can feel grit through the drum by hand, when the machine walks despite being level and loaded properly, or when a burning smell comes with the noise. Stop the machine and call at once if there is smoke, a scorched smell, or a breaker that trips when it spins.
Related pages at this level
- Amana H washer — a cycle that stalls or will not finish: what changes on this model line
- Amana H washer — a machine that will not drain: what changes on this model line
- Amana H washer — water on the floor: what changes on this model line
- Amana H washer — a machine that will not start: what changes on this model line
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
